(Bloomberg) — Myanmar was struck by its largest earthquake in a century, shaking buildings and triggering evacuations in neighboring Vietnam and Thailand, with least one tower collapsing in Bangkok.
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The quake on Friday measured 7.7 in magnitude, in response to the USGS, which mentioned it was 16 kilometers northwest of Sagaing, Myanmar and at a depth of 10 kilometers. It struck at about 1:21 p.m. in Bangkok and was the strongest worldwide since 2023, in response to the US Geological Survey knowledge compiled by Bloomberg. There was a second temblor of 6.4 magnitude across the similar space, the USGS mentioned.
“At first I believed it was the wind, till I noticed folks speeding out,” mentioned Noi, a 60-year-old housekeeper in Bangkok’s industrial Pathumwan district who took shelter beneath a skytrain bridge and noticed buildings swaying. “I used to be shaking and so scared. I’ve by no means skilled an earthquake this unhealthy in my life.”
One particular person is lifeless and round 50 folks have been injured after a 30-story constructing collapsed in Bangkok, in response to emergency companies. The constructing had been beneath development and one particular person stays trapped beneath the rubble.
The scenario in Myanmar, which is struggling a civil warfare and beneath the management of a navy junta, stays unclear. A state of emergency was declared within the Mandalay area, the capital Naypyidaw and in a number of different areas, the State Administration Council mentioned in a message.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared Bangkok an “emergency space,” whereas the inventory and futures exchanges halted buying and selling. Bangkok’s governor mentioned many buildings have been affected.
The Thai baht weakened 0.4% in opposition to the greenback whereas remaining inside its buying and selling vary over the previous week. Monetary techniques stay absolutely operational, the Financial institution of Thailand mentioned, including that it’s monitoring the scenario carefully.
The earthquake was strongly felt within the Thai capital, the place folks fled to the streets, and as far north as Chiang Mai. Paetongtarn, who was in a gathering within the resort city of Phuket, ordered fast discussions on the quake, which witnesses mentioned continued for greater than a minute.
Thailand is organising a 24-hour emergency heart and arranging for all state businesses to reply rapidly to the emergency, she mentioned in a dwell broadcast on Fb.
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